Macaroni cheese with broccoli recipe

serves:

4

Skill:

easy

Cost:

cheap

5-a-day:

1

Prep:

5 min

Cooking:

35 min

Nutrition per portion

RDA

Calories

617 kCal

31%

Fat

27g

39%

Macaroni cheese with broccoli is a fab recipe to get kids eating more greens – macaroni cheese is an absolute family favourite and with the addition of broccoli, you’ll even find the kids asking for seconds. A warming pasta bake with sweetcorn and broccoli and topped with delicious Cheddar cheese couldn’t be easier to make and it costs less than £3 for four portions which means it’s super inexpensive as well as being delicious. Make this family macaroni cheese recipe any night of the week – it’s the ultimate comfort food, plus plenty of veg so you won’t feel so guilty enjoying it!

Ingredients

200g macaroni

350g broccoli florets

340g can sweetcorn, drained

40g butter

40g plain flour

600ml semi-skimmed milk, warmed

1tsp English mustard (optional)

175g strong Cheddar cheese, grated

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Method

Heat the oven to 200°C, gas 6. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of salted water for 5 mins. Cut the broccoli into small florets add to the pan and cook for a further 3 mins until the macaroni and broccoli are just tender. Drain, and turn into the ovenproof dish.

To make the sauce: melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook, stirring over a medium heat for 1 min. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, stirring well after each addition. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat, add the mustard if using and season with salt and pepper. Add three quarters of the cheese, stir until the cheese has melted.

Add the sweetcorn and pour into the dish, fork the sauce through the pasta and broccoli. Scatter the remaining cheese on top, then bake in the oven for 20 mins until the dish is bubbling and the top is golden.

Top tip for making Macaroni cheese with broccoli

We’ve used this recipe in our credit crunch meal planner. Click here to go back to week one of the planner.